Audio 4:10
Protest over sacking of MLC principal

Samantha DonovanUpdated
Mon Oct 08 13:25:00 EST 2012

Supporters of the long-time principal of Melbourne's Methodist Ladies College, Rosa Storelli, have protested her sacking in a walk around the school on the first day of term. They are calling for the sacking of the board and the reinstatement of Ms Storelli but the board says her dismissal is final.

Transcript

ELEANOR HALL: In Melbourne, hundreds of parents whose children attend a prestigious girls' school staged a protest this morning against the sacking of the school's principal.

Rosa Storelli lost her job after the board of the Methodist Ladies College said it had lost confidence in her over a pay dispute.

But many members of the school community are outraged at the treatment of Ms Storelli, and they're calling instead for the ousting of the board.

In Melbourne, Samantha Donovan reports.

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: It's a battle that's pitted a school community against a board of business high-flyers.

This morning, hundreds of parents of current and former students and other friends of the school walked around the MLC grounds in Melbourne's east for an hour. They wore pink armbands, pink clothes and carried pink roses in support of sacked principal Rosa Storelli.

And they had a clear message.

VOX POP 1: The board has got to go. They've trashed the school's reputation and we want to see some change, we'd like to see our principal back but if that's not possible, goodbye board.

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: The MLC board is chaired by Louise Adler, the CEO of Melbourne University Publishing. Also on the board are the CEO of Australia Post, Ahmed Fahour, and social commentator Bernard Salt.

This parent of a former student thinks the board, or at least Ms Adler, should resign, and he wants Rosa Storelli to return to the role of principal.

VOX POP 2: I fail to see why you would get rid of such an excellent educator when she has come to the board with this difficulty that she did not produce and seek to produce a resolution, why the board couldn't find a compromise that allowed her to continue in her excellent, in her role as an excellent educator, completely baffles the school community, including myself.

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: The dispute first became public a few weeks ago when Ms Storelli was sacked after disputing a finding that she had been overpaid more than $700,000, but the board has now acknowledged that any overpayment was the result of accounting mistakes made by the school.

Ms Storelli and the school settled the matter on Friday and she is to repay $100,000.

This parent of a former student says she's been deeply affected by Ms Storelli's sacking.

VOX POP 3: The board has shown utter disdain for the church, their behaviour's been totally un-Christian, and it's terribly important that we're able to educate our children so that they know about Christ, correct behaviour.

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: Members of the MLC board are not speaking publicly, but in a statement released last night the board said the decision to terminate Ms Storelli's role was final and the dispute with her now settled.

But it acknowledged that a number of issues had been raised about the governance of MLC, including the role of the Uniting Church and the accountability and relationship of the board to the wider school community.

It says a board meeting this week would start planning a consultation process so that the school community can have a say on any changes needed to the way the school is governed.

Tracey Cocks is the coordinator of the Rosa Storelli Fairness Group. She was thrilled with the turn-out at this morning's protest and says the group has several ideas to put to the board.

TRACEY COCKS: In relation to current board members, we understand that three, perhaps four of them, are up for completing their three year appointments in only a couple of weeks in November, so we would like those people to strongly consider, and in the case of Ms Adler, to accept the decision not to renominate, that would free up some positions and in addition, the board has been carrying a couple of vacancies for some time now and we would like them to fill those.

One of those is the Uniting Church vacancy and this process has made it very clear to us that whilst they have one board member who is apparently observant of the Uniting Church, they're certainly not a mouthpiece for the Uniting Church.

And we really feel that the church needs to have a say in our school and this process has made it very clear to us that we've become quite ignorant about the constitution that's governing the school.

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: So parents and friends of the school need to have a greater understanding of that?

TRACEY COCKS: Yes, oh look and we probably have one now, but we've realised now that our parents' association is really very good for organising morning teas and not much else.